"President Xu, here, have a glass of our local fruit juice. I guarantee it'll make you feel even better than wine." When Swain Wellen smiled, the fat on his face squeezed his already small eyes shut until they were barely visible.
Xu Yi raised his glass to him and Angklu, then drained the juice, which looked and tasted rather like mango juice, in one gulp.
He actually preferred drinking fruit juice to wine at banquets.
Alcohol always left people feeling dizzy, something Xu Yi had never liked, since he wanted to remain rational and clearheaded at all times.
As soon as he set down his glass, the young maid kneeling beside him filled it again.
Looking at the few scraps of cloth on the maid, who was clearly underage, which failed to cover even her private parts, Xu Yi inwardly shook his head.
The Stantin Duchy might have been poor, but that was true only for ordinary people. A powerful noble like Patriarch Wellen, who controlled a vast stretch of land in the duchy's north, still lived in extreme luxury.
His lifestyle was even more extravagant and debauched than those of the nobles in the Lampari Kingdom.
Although most of the Lampari nobles led dissolute private lives as well, they seldom had underage girls entertain guests in such a nearly naked state.
"President Xu, it's truly an honor to welcome such a distinguished guest as yourself. Come, let's have another glass." Patriarch Wellen raised his glass again with a beaming smile.
Once Xu Yi had finished drinking, Patriarch Wellen's little eyes darted toward Angklu before he addressed Xu Yi again. "President Xu, Lord Angklu told me that you've come to our Stantin Duchy intending to invest here?"
Xu Yi was somewhat surprised that he had gotten to the point so